Centrifugal casting apparatus



March 16 1943. R. E. DANIEL CENTRIFUGAL CASTING APPARATUS Filed April 9, 1942 /N YEA/767k Reba/777 534 22,1 6 7 v H TTQAWE WIT/V556 Patented Mar. 1 6:, 1943 CENTRIF UGAL CASTING APPARATUS Robert E. Daniel, Birmingham, Ala., assignor to T OFFICE United States Pipe and Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application April9, 1942, Serial No. 438,258 8 Claims. (01. 22'65 The invention relates to centrifugal casting apparatus and is'directed Specifically to means for clamping the driving sleeve to the bell end of a centrifugal mold used for making pipe or the like, and for providing a water seal between the driving sleeve and the mold.

In order that pipe of diiferent diameter may be cast in such apparatus, it is' customary to employ molds of varying diameter and to construct the different molds and the other parts of'the casting apparatus so that a mold-of one size may-be easily replaced in the apparatus by a mold of another size. In thus changing from one mold to another, economy of operation re'- quires that a minimum number of changes in other parts of the apparatus be made. It has usually been found expedientto provide thebell end of such a mold with an annular flange as a part of the construction utilized for supporting and rotatingthe mold in the apparatus and for providing a water seal. I

In one'arrangement commonly utilized the bell end of the mold is provided, with a short extension which projects longitudinally beyond the r flange, and this extension is externally threaded for cooperation with an internally threaded flange ring which forms a driving connection between the driving sleeve andthe mold. Suitable packing or sealing gaskets have been necessary in order to form a; water seal between the outer end of the driving sleeve and the outer end of the mold. The excessive heat to which the mold is subjected during the casting operation, the consequent expansion and contraction of the bell of the mold, and the excessive force required to tighten the flange ring on the threaded bell and remove it therefrom soon result in such damage to the cooperating threads on the mold and the flange ring that it becomes difiicult, and frequently impossible, to secure water-tight con-' nections at the bell end of the mold. This leads to undue expense in renewing the threads 'on the mold or renewing the entire bell portion.

In accordance with one arrangement which has heretofore been suggested for overcoming the above dimculties, the'threads were omitted from the extension on the bell end of the. mold and a metal driving ring was interposedbetween the driving sleeve and the mold flange. ,In the suggested construction, the driving ring was not designed to form a water-seal between the drivin'g sleeve and the mold, and the entire structure was such that it was impossible to .provide a satisfactory water seal between the driving sleeve and the end of the mold.

In accordance with another arrangement which has been suggested heretofore, the driving sleeve was provided with an internal flange formed integral with the sleeve, and the flange on the bell end of the mold was clamped between this internal flange and the flange ring. With a construction of that character, the driving sleeve was adapted for use with only one size of mold so that when a mold of one size was replaced by a mold of another size in the casting apparatus it-was necessary to substitute a difierent driving sleeve and a difl'erent flange ring'. Such a construction necessarily required that many sizes of driving sleeves and flange rings be provided and maintained in order to adapt the apparatus to casting pipe of the various com- .mercial sizes. The construction was also unsatisfactory in that it prevented the free circulation of water about the bell end of the mold with the.

result that the end of the mold was overheated during the casting operation.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is the elimination of the threadd connection between the bell end of the mold and the flange ring employed therewith. Another object is the. elimination of packing and sealing gaskets between the driving sleeve and'the mold. Another object of the invention is a reduction in the number of parts required for providing a satisfactory driving connection and water seal' between the driving sleeve and the mold. A further object of the invention is the provision of a driving ring between the driving sleeve and the mold, 'which also serves as a water seal. A still further object is the provision of an interchangeable driving ring between the driving sleeve and the mold, which dispenses with the necessity for substituting another driving sleeve when a. mold of one size is replaced by a mold of another size. It is another object of the invention to provide a driving ring which is so constructed that its position in the apparatus may be reversed to adapt it to .mold flanges of difierent thickness.v Still another object of the invention is the provision of driving and sealing means of such a construction as to eiiect a substantial saving in time and labor in the operation of changingv from one size of mold to another and in correcting water leakage at the bell end of the mold.

Still further objects and advantages of the improvement will be apparent from the following description, taken with the accompanying draw- .ing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of one form improvement incorporated therein, parts of the apparatus being shown in section to better illustrate the construction;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the bell end of the mold and connected parts as shown in-Fig. 1, the improved driving and sealing ring being shown in-the position in which it is adapted to be used with a mold flange of one thickness; 1

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the driving and sealing ring reversed in posi-.-

tion to adapt it to a mold flange of less thickness;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the improved driving and sealing ring, a part thereof being cutaway to better illustrate its formation;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the improved flange ring, a part thereof being cut away to better illustrate its formation; and

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view, partly broken away, of the flange ring shown in Fig. 5.

While the improvements disclosed and claimed herein may be utilized with other forms of apparatus, they are illustrated in connection with centrifugal casting apparatus such as that shown and described in Russell and Langenberg Patent 1,949,433, granted March' 6, 1934, for Method and apparatus for casting pipes centrifugally. As shown in the drawing herein, such apparatus comprises a mold l removably and rotatablymounted in a water box H which serves as a.v movable carriage for the mold. The water box II is supported on wheels l2 which are arranged to travel upon side rails I3 on the base l4. A piston operating in a cylinder l6 secured to the base M has its outer end connected to the under side of the mold carriage by a coupling member H for moving the carriage to and fro on the rails l3 during the casting operation.

A pouring trough IB of well known type is fixed at its inlet end to a suitable support rigid with respect to the base |4 so that the free or outlet end I9 may move into and out of the mold I0 as the mold carriage II is moved back and forth on the rails l3. The particular casting apparatus described above is well known in the As disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, the driving sleeve 24 is spaced throughout its length from the outer surface of the mold l0 in'order that the entire bell end of the mold may be kept sufliciently cool by the water circulating around the mold in the water 'box The outer end of the driving sleeve 24 isso formed on its interior as to provide a shoulder 28 whichis spaced longitudinally from the inner face 29 of an annular flange 30 around the bell end of the mold. The flange 30 is characteristic of many of the molds which are in use and constitutes a convenient means by which the driving sleeve 24 may be connected to the mold in the structures heretofore employed. As shown in the drawing, the face 29 .of the flange 30 is somewhat curved, but it will be understood'that this particular conformation is not essential to the present improvement. 4

Interposed between the inner face of the flange 30 and the shoulder 28 is a ring 3|, preferably made of iron or steel. The ring 3| is tightly clamped between the shoulder 28 and the flange 30 when the parts are completely assembled, to thus form a rigid driving connection between the sleeve 24 and the mold, and a water seal between these parts. The outer surface of ring 3| is constructed to fit loosely within'the outer endof driving sleeve 24 while its inner' surface is substantially spaced from the outer surface of the mold so as not to interfere with the circulation of water around the entire industry: and it will be understood that when molten metal is supplied to the pouring trough 3 ,during the operation of the apparatus a' stream of metal is deposited in the mold ID in the form of a spiral extending from end .to end of the mold, and that the action of centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the mold and acting upon the poured 'metaldistributes the metal uniformly over the inner surface of the mold. 1 a

Rotary movement of the mold I0 is provided by an electric motor 20 mounted on the water box .II and movable therewith. Motion is.trans-. mittd from the motor 20 to the mold l0 through gears 2| and 22, the teeth of the latter meshing with teeth 23 on the outside of a driving sleeve 24 of a form which is generally well known in appara of this character. The'driving sleeve 24 'surrounds'the bell of the mold l0 and its outerend is designed to be suitably connected with the outer end of'the bell while its inner-end is mounted for rotational movement in a bearbell end of the mold.

A flange ring 32 has the inner portion 33 of its inner face constructed to engage with the outer end of the bell of mold, particularly with the outer face 34 of the flange 30. The-outer portion-35 of the inner face of the flange ring 32 is spaced substantially from the outer end of the driving sleeve 24, and the flange ring is secured to the driving sleeve by a plurality of bolts 36. These bolts extend through bolt holes 31 arranged around the periphery of the flange ring 32 and their inner ends are threaded into suitable openings 38 in. the outer end of driving sleeve 24. An annular rib 39 on the inner face. of the flange ring 32 extends between the mold flange 30 and the outer end of driving sleeve 24 ,for centering'the mold with respect to the sleeve. A projecting flange 40 on the front face of flange ring 32 is provided with a plurality of tapered openings-4| 'to receive suitable wedges for retaining a bell core in position in the I 0 in a manner well understood.

In view of the fact that moldflanges 30 vary somewhat in thickness, the improved driving and sealing ring 3| may have its inner and outer circumferential faces of different width, .as by a tapered or offset end face. so as to be readily adapted to flanges of different thickness. As may readily be seen from the showing in Figs. 2 and3. when the ring 3| is in the position shown in Fig. 2, with the shoulder 23 in enga ement with oifset portion, 42, it may be used with a mold flange 30 of one thickness, and when the position of the ring 3| is reversed as shown in Fig. 3, with the projecting portion.43 in engagement /with flange face 29, it may be used with a thinner I this is not essential.

It will also be apparent from the drawing that the improvement is readily adapted to molds of mold ring in place.

difierent diameter by utilizing the same driving sleeve 24. and merely substituting a. driving and sealing ring 3! having a different thickness, and another flange ring 32 conforming to the change in diameter of the mold. As will also be apparent from, the drawing, the structure of the improvement is such that the entire outer end of the bell of the mold, inwardly of the flange 30, is exposedto the circulating water in the Water .box ll so that the temperature of the bell end of the mold may. not become excessive during the casting operation.

It is desired to emphasize that with the use of the improvement no packing rings or sealing gaskets are necessary to provide a water seal between the driving sleeve 24 and the outer portion of the bell end of the mold. It has been found from extensive experiments with the device that the metal driving ring 3| seals the space between the driving sleeve 24 and the mold against water leakage when the bolts 36 are tightened to the extent necessary to clamp the flange 30 and the driving ring 31 between the flange ring 32 and the internal shoulder 28 nection isutilized between the flange ring 32 .andthe extension 44 on the bell end of the mold.

While a preferred form of the improvement has been disclosed herein, together with a certain arrangement of the parts thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise apparatus and arrangement of parts disclosed. The above description and the accompanying drawing are therefore to be regarded as illustrative only, and it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible of other forms and arrangements so long as they come within the scope of the appended claims. What I desire to, claim is: v

-1. In centrifugal casting apparatus having a cylindrical mold rotatably and removably mounted in a water box and a driving sleeve surrounding one end of the mold and spaced therefrom, means. for providinga driving connection and a ,water seal between said sleeve and said mold comprising spaced shoulders arranged circumferentially of said end of the mold toprovide opposed radial clamping faces, an internal shoulder on said sleeve to provide a radial clamping face opposed to and spaced longitudinally from the innermost shoulder on said mold, a removable driving and sealing ring-interposed between the shoulder on said sleeve and the innermost shoulder on said mold. a flange ring having its inner edge in engagement with the outermost shoulder on said mold and its outer edge spaced from'the outer end of said driving sleeve, and

3 means cooperating with' said sleeve-and said flange ring to clamp said driving and sealing 2. In centrifugal casting apparatus having a cylindrical mold rotatably and removably mounted in a water box and a driving sleeve surrounding one end of the mold and spaced therefrom, means for providing a driving connection and awater seal between said sleeveand said mold comprising spaced shoulders arranged circumferentially of said end of the mold to provide opposed radial clamping faces, an internal shoulder on said sleeve to provide a radial clamping face opposed to and'spaced longitudinally from the innermost shoulder on said mold, a removable driving and sealing ring interposed between the shoulder on said sleeve and the innermost shoulder on said mold and having its inner face spaced from said mold, a flange ring having its inner edge in engagement with the outermost shoulder on said mold and itsouter edge spaced from the 'outer end of said driving sleeve,- and means cooperating with said sleeve and said flange ring to clamp said driving and sealing ring in place.

3. In centrifugal castingapparatus having a cylindrical mold rotatably and removably mounted in a water box and a driving sleeve surrounding one end of the mold and spaced therefrom, means for providing a driving connection and a water seal between said sleeve and said mold comprising spaced shouldersarranged circumferen-. tially of said end of the mold to provide opposed radial clamping faces, an internal shoulder on said sleeve to provide a. radial clamping face opposed to and spaced longitudinally from the innermost shoulder on said mold, a removable driving and sealing ring interposed between the shoulder on said sleeve and the innermost shoulder on said mold, a flange ring having its inner edge in engagement with the outermost shoulder on said mold and its outer edge spaced from the outer end of said driving sleeve, a rib on the inner faceof said flange ring and'ex'tending between said mold and said sleeve to center the mold in the sleeve, and means cooperating with said sleeve and said flange ring to clamp said driving and sealing ring in place.

4. In centrifugal casting apparatus wherein a cylindrical mold having a circumferential flange at one end thereof is rotatably and removably mounted in a water box and a driving sleeve surrounds said end in spaced relation thereto, means for providing a drivingconnection and a water seal between said sleeve and said mold comprising an internal shoulder on said sleeve, a removable driving and sealing ring interposed between said shoulder and the inner face ofsaid flange,

a flange ring having its inner edge in engagement with the outer face of said flange and its outer edge spaced from the outer end of said driving sleeve, and means cooperating with said sleeve and said flange ring to clamp said driving and sealing ring in place.

5. In centrifugal casting apparatu wherein a cylindrical mold having a circumferential flange at one end thereof is rotatably and removably mounted in a water box and a driving sleeve surrounds said end in spaced relation thereto, means for providing a driving connection and a water seal between said sleeve and said mold compris-' ing an internal shoulder formed on said sleeve and spaced longitudinally from the inner face of said flange, a removable driving'and sealing ring interposed between said shoulderandthe inner face of said flangeand having its inner face spaced from said mold, a flange ring having its inner edge in engagement with'the outer face of i said flange and its outer edge spaced from the outer end of said driving sleeve, means on said flange ring for centering said mold with respect to said sleeve, and means cooperating with said sleeve and said flange ring to clamp said driving and sealing ring in place.

6. In centrifugal casting apparatus'wh'erein a cylindrical mold having an external shoulder thereon is rotatably and removably mounted in a water box and a driving sleeve with an internal shoulder thereon surrounds said mold, means for providing a driving connection and a water seal and said flange ring to clamp said driving and sealing ring in place.

7. In centrifugal casting apparatus wherein a cylindrical mold having a circumferential flange at one end thereof is rotatably and removably mounted in a water box and an internally shouldered driving sleeve surrounds said end in spaced relation thereto, a. driving and sealing ring adapted to be clamped between the shoulder on said sleeve and said flange and having a radial face provided with Opposite edge portions offset from each other whereby said ring may be reversed in position in said apparatus to adapt it to mold flanges of different thickness.

8. A driving and sealing ring adapted to be clamped between an internal shoulder on a driving sleeve and an external flange on a cylindrical mold in centrifugal casting apparatus, said ring having a cross section substantially rectangular with an annular portion of one radial face offset from the other portion whereby said ring may be reversed to adapt it tomold flanges of difierent thickness.

v ROBERT E.- DANIEL. 

